


Second Childhood

by delunestories



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Because I miss the good old days with cute team bonding and less angsty pain, De-Aged Tony Stark, Gen, Kid Tony Stark, Not Canon Compliant, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-15 02:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18489115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delunestories/pseuds/delunestories
Summary: Loki turns Tony into a three year old because it's Loki which leaves Steve and Bruce to convince the usually independent and self-sufficient man to just relax and not do anything dangerous.It'll go about as well as they expect.





	Second Childhood

**Author's Note:**

> AN: I got sick a few days ago and did nothing but read old de-aged Tony fics and cute team bonding and Stony and Stuckony and got nostalgic for 2012 Avengers.
> 
> Ignores everything after the Avengers, and everyone is just one big happy Avengers family because as much as I love my angst I need some good old fashioned fluffy cuteness.
> 
> Doctor Strange is probably a little ooc since I have no idea how to write him but I needed him so hopefully he isn't too awful.

He hated magic!

He hated Loki!

He hated magic and Loki!

And in a few minutes, he might start hating Strange too if the man doesn't stop laughing at him.

"It's not funny!"

"My friend, it's a little funny," Stephen said as he stared at the now three-year-old Stark.

"Can you turn him back? Wanda tried and wasn't able to do anything." Sam asked the sorcerer.

The city was being attacked on two fronts, so they split up into two teams Tony, Sam, Wanda, and Bucky were dealing with Loki while Natasha, Clint, Steve, Bruce, and Thor dealt with Doom. Things were going well until Loki turned Tony into a child because of course, he did. This wasn't even the weirdest thing that Tony had ever been turned into.

The weirdest thing he'd been turned into was also courtesy of Loki, the trickster seemed to find great joy in targeting Tony.

"It depends, I will try. However, I fear that Loki is the only one that will be able to reverse this. He's got a very deep understanding of his powers and magic in general. I can't imagine he would cast this knowing it would be easy to reverse."

Strange's words proved to be right no matter what he tried Tony stayed a toddler.

"We have to fix this before the others see." Tony said with a slight whine to his voice.

"Why in such a hurry?" Bucky asked as he sat on the floor next to Tony.

"Cos they were impossible the last time Loki turned me into something, I do not want to go through all that again." They hadn't let him go anywhere or do anything, and worse still he got teased for months afterward it would only be worse this time.

"Tony, Wanda can't reverse it and neither can Strange. Which means they have to know, mostly because we'll need Thor to try and fix this." Bucky said placing a hand on Tony's head trying to calm him.

"Plus they'll be back any minute now little man." Sam said smiling at Tony and he knew they were right. He knew he had to tell the others. But that doesn't mean he has to like it.

"You and Clint are gonna be awful aren't ya?"

"When this is all over? Hell yeah, but I know if the shoe was on the other foot you would be just as awful wouldn't you?" Sam asked with a smile and Tony had to admit even if it was just to himself he would be. In fact, he'd probably be even worse.

"Well since there's nothing more I can do I shall take my leave. I hope the next time I see you, Mr. Stark, you are slightly taller." Before Tony could even say anything Strange had already portalled his way out which was just plain cheating in his opinion.

"Tiny Boss! The others are back now." FRIDAY said and Tony resisted the urge to whine at that. He still remembered everything from his adult self but he did find he had certain impulses that were more childish.

"Come on pouty, you better get this over with now." Bucky said as the others started going up the stairs. They were staying in the old Stark Mansion instead of Avengers Tower since it needed repairs after the last supervillain of the week managed to damage it to the point it was practically a danger to live in.

Stairs were a lot harder as a three year old then they were as an adult. But that didn't mean he was happy when he found himself being picked up by Bucky.

"Don't look at me like that, I made the mistake of being behind you and you know this will be faster so just enjoy the free ride." Bucky said as he placed Tony on his hip just like any other toddler which only made everything worse.

"But this is humiliating!"

"Worse than the time you were a kitten?" Sam asked with a teasing grin.

"Clint's a traitor, and no that was still the worse and weirdest thing Loki ever did." Tony couldn't believe that Clint had told Sam, no actually he could. It was exactly something Clint would do.

"I swear Loki sure does like pulling your pigtails." Bucky said as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Oh Tony." Steve said when he saw the now de-aged Iron Man.

"My brother certainly does like to pick on you. It reminds me of what he would do to Sif when we were children."

"Thor anything you can do to help Tony?" Steve asked turning to the man as Tony squirmed to get out of Bucky's grip now they were upstairs.

"I will try to find my brother to reverse this, I pray he will not make this too difficult." Thor said before looking at his shrunken friend. "I apologize for my brother's antics friend Tony but I will find him and fix this."

Tony couldn't find it in his heart to be that mad, not when Thor sounded that guilty. It wasn't his fault that Loki played these kind of tricks on him.

"While you do that I'll take a look at Tony." Bruce said opening his hands up like he expected Tony to move into his arms. Which Tony just looked at his hands as if they personally offended him. "Tony, I know you hate being carried and I know this is embarrassing for you. But I need my lab to check you over and to get there we need to go down about forty steps which will be much less tiring and faster if I carry you and you know that."

Tony would have whined at the words his mind wanted him to whine and kick at Bruce's words, but whining would only prove that he was being childish and throwing a tantrum would also prove that he was acting the age he looked like. The adult part of him that was still there knew Bruce was right, knew that if anyone else was going through what he was then he would have suggested the same thing. But his more childish side wanted to just whine about how unfair it was.

His adult side won and allowed Bucky to transfer him into Bruce's arms and the man took him down into his lab/medical bay. He had the whole mansion converted for the Avengers it wasn't that hard all of the furniture and personal effects had long since been moved into storage.

Bruce sighed when they got there and placed Tony on the exam table which felt so much bigger than he remembered. The exam went fairly quietly, Bruce not saying much and Tony not knowing what to say when he was currently so young.

"Okay Tony, I'm going to say something and you're not going to like it and you're not going to want to do it. But please let me finish before you get mad." Bruce sounded like he was getting ready for battle and judging by Tony's face it might not be a battle he can win.

"Tony you have the body of a three year old, your bones, brain, and organs are that of a three year old. Which means you're going to have to relent and be treated as a three year old for certain things."

"But I'm still me I don't need ta be treated any different!"

"Tony you just said ta and I only said certain things. We're not going to suddenly treat you like you can't do anything but certain things you will need to accept until we can fix this. Loki didn't just shrink you he made you young, he gave you the same body as any other three year old. Which means you can't eat like you could before, you can't drink coffee or alcohol and yes you will need help with certain things because as much as I know you hate this and as much as I know you want to just act the same you can't and somewhere in your mind you know this."

He hated that it was Bruce telling him this, it was easy to fight everyone else. But Bruce was always good at appealing to the rational side of him. He knew that he was right, but his pride and ego hated the idea of needing anyone for anything.

"Help with things like what?"

"Tony I hate to say it and you're gonna hate to hear it but the showers and bathtubs here were not designed for an independent three year old."

It was not often that Tony Stark was rendered speechless but this was one of those rare moments, because no, no way, no how, just no.

"Tony we have no idea how long you'll be stuck like this. We're not going to push you or do anything you're uncomfortable with. I'm just trying to let you know that if you need help with anything then please don't push us away or be scared to ask us." The sincerity in Bruce's voice stopped Tony from denying it, he knew that he might have to ask for help but he was also a genius surely he could figure out something that didn't involve him trading in his self worth.

"I can figure something out."

"And how are you planning on doing that?" It wasn't Bruce that asked it was Steve.

"I am a genius." Tony could hear it coming, he knew Steve and he knew Bruce and he knew when he was about to be mothered.

"No lab, no inventions, no exceptions." There it was.

"Steve-"

"No Tony, I get that you think I'm overly righteous, and sometimes I push you when I shouldn't but this time you have to listen. You have the body of a child, your mind may be just as sharp and able as always but your body isn't. You could easily get hurt when you're this small and you know you can." Steve said leaning down to look at Tony's face.

"Tony think about if this was Peter or Clint or anyone else on the team would you still let them do everything they did as an adult in the body of a young child? Would you let Peter help with your inventions if he had the body of a three year old?" Bruce said gently and Tony hated it because he was right and he didn't want him to be right.

He wouldn't let Peter help, he would insist that he waits until he was back to his usual size before doing anything.

"I hate it when you're rational." He said to Bruce sighing.

"Because you know if this was about anyone that wasn't you, you'd do the exact same thing. Tony you need to trust us, and let us handle this. Just enjoy a second childhood for a few days." Steve pleaded and Tony didn't want to listen.

"What do you want me to do?" Tony asked giving up, partly because the logical side of him did agree with Bruce and also because he knew the others wouldn't give him a choice.

"Think of it like a vacation, watch tv with the others, spend time with us, read some books, just relax." Steve said gently, he was relieved that Tony hadn't fought him harder. If Bruce hadn't been there he probably would have.

"So what you actually mean is someone is going to be babysitting you so you might as well make the most of it." Tony said seeing through Steve's words to what he really meant.

"You can't get anything past our resident genius Steve, even when he's tiny." Bucky said walking down the stairs.

"I'm not that tiny!"

"You've always been tiny Tony. Even adult you is like five foot eight." Bucky said with a grin and Tony just knows he's gonna be awful throughout all of this because he loves to tease him almost as much as Clint did.

Tony couldn't even deny it because Bucky actually made him taller then he really was only by an inch but still his ego had already taken enough hits today he didn't need anymore.

"Okay since I have no choice who's my first babysitter?" He said sighing and looking at Steve.

"Here I was worried you'd fight it more, munchkin." Bucky said with an even wider grin.

"Bucky stop teasing Tony."

"I can't help it Stevie, it's too much fun and you know you'd be even worse than me Tony so you can't be that mad." Bucky said before lifting the boy up into his arms.

"You could have just gotten me a step stool or something." Tony said annoyed at the treatment.

"Do we even have one of those?" Bucky asked looking at Bruce who just shrugged in response.

"I don't think so, we've never really had a need for one." Steve said before smiling at Tony. "I'll pick one up on my walk tomorrow morning and as for your babysitter..."

"That would be me." Bucky said with the kind of grin that made Tony believe that this was going to be a nightmare. "Don't be so scared, I had my fun I promise not to tease you anymore now come on let's watch something mindless on that big screen tv you paid for." Bucky had already started carrying him upstairs before he finished talking.

Tony had a feeling he was going to hate this even more than that time he got turned into a kitten.


End file.
